Chavez Jr. lines up Caicedo fight for April 25 in Mexico

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will return to the ring on April 25, facing Jhon Caicedo in a scheduled bout at Estadio Adolfo Lopez Mateos in Reynosa, Mexico, the WBC confirmed Wednesday.

The 40-year-old Chavez (55-7-1, 35 KOs) last fought in January, stopping Angel Sacco in four rounds in Mexico. That outing followed a June decision loss to Jake Paul in a cruiserweight bout. Chavez has gone 9-7 since 2012 and has not recorded a win over a recognized contender during that period.

Caicedo (13-1, 5 KOs), a 21-year-old from Colombia, enters off a third-round knockout defeat to Avni Yildirim last June in Turkey. He has not fought since that loss and has limited experience at a higher level. Losing to Yildirim gives one a good idea of what kind of fighter Caicedo is.

Chavez Jr. has been so unpredictable over the last 14 years that it’s difficult to know how he’ll perform in this fight. Given Caicedo’s recent defeat against Avni, Julio Jr. should be in safe territory here against this level of opponent. However, Chavez Jr.’s age and track record suggest he may not win even against this level of opposition.

The fight is scheduled to take place in front of a hometown crowd for Chavez, who is now based in Mexico. He was arrested last July near his Los Angeles residence for overstaying his visa and allegedly providing false information on a green card application. Chavez was deported and released from custody in August and is awaiting further legal proceedings tied to the case.

The April 25 date marks Chavez’s second fight of the year and another appearance on a sanctioned card following his recent activity in Mexico.

Chavez Jr. is another of the handful of fighters who have taken advantage of having a famous father to make millions in the sport. He’s shared the ring with Jake Paul, Canelo Alvarez, Sergio Martinez, and Anderson Silva during his career.